McConnell rips COVID spending behavior, talks midterm politics
Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., joins 'Special Report' for a wide-ranging exclusive interview.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell joined Fox News' "Special Report" for an exclusive interview Thursday after Republicans united to successfully block billions of dollars in federal coronavirus response spending.
McConnell, R-Ky., noted members of the GOP, along with several Democrats including Sens. Jon Tester of Montana and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, supported the bipartisan Public Health and Border Security Act, which would require all coronavirus-related states of emergency to be lifted before pandemic-induced Title 42 border protections are terminated.
"Let me emphasize it wasn't just Republicans — had both Arizona senators; we had … Democrats; the senator from Montana, senator from New Hampshire — a long way from the water, all agreed with us," he said of President Biden's move to end Title 42, which put further restrictions on illegal immigration citing public health concerns.
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Mitch McConnell
He said that decision is "entirely irrelevant" to the move to block additional COVID spending.
"All we were asking for is an amendment. I think the majority leader was afraid the amendment would pass because a number of his members agreed with us," McConnell said of New York Sen. Chuck Schumer.
"We had agreed to a $10 billion package — paid for … using repurposed funds from the $2 trillion dollar package the Democrats jammed through on a party-line basis last year, so it wasn't new money."
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Jon Tester (D-MT) (Reuters)
In the meantime, "there was the decision about Title 42 and wreaking further havoc at the border with the argument that somehow COVID was behind us making that same argument," he said.
McConnell also responded to a plan by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to relocate illegal immigrants who illicitly cross into Texas to Washington, D.C.
Abbott said dropping such illegal migrants at the Capitol would allow them to meet the people who are supportive of policies that have aided their entry.
"I certainly understand his frustration," McConnell said. "This is a federal government responsibility. He's living with the consequences of it."